Originally Posted by Wulf

The problem with Google ads is you pretty much get any type of ad so I can't stand those either.

I enabled the Tire ad column on the main forum page for now so you can see what it looks like. I think those fit in quite nicely with the site design and are not in your face.

Those are not too bad. It's funny though, for some reason reifendirect.de thinks I'm German :p

...or maybe they are marketing towards German language speakers in the U.S!

(or more likely, the ad software has no region detection built in :p )

It's just a static image and shows up the same for all visitors. It doesn't detect a region.

Originally Posted by Wulf

It's just a static image and shows up the same for all visitors. It doesn't detect a region.

Well, I clocked it, just because I was curious if you could still get Conti-Winter Contact TS810's in Germany (they have been obsoleted over here) and it turns out you can! I ahve a feeling it wouldn't be worth shipping them over the Atlantic though

Hey Wulf, as you know I am a newbie to this forum, but have many years experience with web development (using Joomla!) and its associated forum extensions.

The first thing I noticed when I arrived here, just one non-site advertisement.
Its very pleasing to find a forum that is not littered with ads for both on and off topic subjects and so it does not detract from the real aim of the site.

You no doubt put a lot of hours into the site and it all costs money to host and as you said you get what you pay for. If you have had little trouble with your current hosts with minimal outages, then it maybe not worth the trouble or expense to move, if it ain't broke, don't fix it unless your getting stung for going over any bandwidth or other impossed limits.
Speed wise, here from the UK, its a quick load less than 4 seconds, no script errors which is not bad based on the number of images loading.

Google Ads is needs a bit of work to ensure you get relevant ads, providing there are relevant advertisers.
Its possible to arrange some sponsorship with selected, relevant companies ie get them to pay your hosting for the year.

Personally, I admire any individual that provides a good web service free of charge, but understand the financial burden that can have too, I am still doing it myself on a couple not for profits sites.

Running memberships adds extra implications on setting up the site to start off with, and some users will not be interested in premium content from the word go as all they want to do is find an answer and run. This is a shame as no doubt that information they get from the forum will have probably saved them time and money.

Then of course, we researched and placed ads can actually be of interest and use to visitors which then in turn can turn in to some revenue to help fund the site.

Why not add a donation button?
Good content, good community, good support, sure people would donate to support the upkeep of the site.

Keep up the great work, all of you.

Simon

We've already made the move, and personally my loading speed has sped up a tiny bit if a change is even noticeable. Also, there is a donate button. It's under the "Forum" tab, and it's on the far right.

Thanks Simon. The few ads on the front page are just temporary for now as they actually don't bring in any money. Perhaps it just needs some time but I'll probably remove them again. The financial burden of the site is minimal after the initial startup startup last year and making money is not the goal of this site.

Thanks for the donation Jeff! A list of donators can be found here: http://saabworld.net/misc.php?do=donlist

Your financial support makes things like the new site translator and the recent new site themes possible.

So far, donations for the site total EUR 61 (US$87) which is pretty good. However, it is not quite enough to make it a financially strong site. With the introduction of new features like the Translation, Downloads and soon to come new Classifieds software, we are quickly outgrowing our current hosting plan/limits so that needs to be bumped up to the next level very soon. New software also costs money and it would be nice to have some extra funds available for sponsoring events and contests like a monthly contest here on SaabWorld.

So.... The ads for tire stores are back in the side bars on the forum and home page and are visible for everyone. Visitors will also see a Google Ads banner ad. Logged in members do not see this ad.

It seems best to show general car and Saab relevant ads to members and Google ads to guests. Hopefully, you'll consider this as a positive development and any ad income will be put back into the site and Saab community.

That's the way it has to be .It's ok for me

If we see an interesting ad and click on it, particularly google ads, does this result in any revenue for Saabworld?

Yes, Google ads generate revenue when you click on them. The other ads from Tirerack etc only generate revenue when you actually buy something from those companies.

Whats the rate per click? Just curious.

It depends on the advertiser and other factors. Yesterday and today was about $0.30-$0.35 average per click and a total of $3 a day. One click was $0.94 and others were $0.05.

what is the minimum,maximum and average cost per click - AdSense Help

Originally Posted by Frank Wulfers

Yes, Google ads generate revenue when you click on them. The other ads from Tirerack etc only generate revenue when you actually buy something from those companies.

Pardon my ignorance but which ones are the Google ads?

You have to log out for seeing the Google ads banner. It is only shown for unregistered visitors.

The site earned $125 with Google Adsense in September which was better than I expected. Unfortunately, only $17 this month so far because the translation feature was removed from the site. I removed the Google advertising from the site as it is not really worth the hassle and I can't stand the ugly ads from Dodge, Toyota etc. Makes me feel dirty pushing other car makes than Saab onto visitors of a Saab site. I much rather would have Saab-related ads.

The site also doesn't seem to attract many new active members besides the occasional questions in the workshop forums. I am not giving up on the site but I sometimes wonder what we are doing it for.

Perhaps Mike should ask EUR 6 per sticker like SU does.. Also makes you curious how much VerticalScope is raking in with SC, TSL and SaabScene. $5K a month per site?

I was hoping the site would earn enough at some point to reward active members, moderators, writers of tutorials or do good things for the Saab community but that will probably not happen anytime soon.

Originally Posted by Frank Wulfers

The site also doesn't seem to attract many new active members besides the occasional questions in the workshop forums. I am not giving up on the site but I sometimes wonder what we are doing it for.

Damn right, you're not giving up! I've put a few hundred hours into my classic 900 tutorial section, and would be saddened to see that go to waste. And really, I wouldn't expect any compensation from site earnings. I'm doing it for the community. That's what I'm doing it for.

The site won't go away... Ever! I'll go sit on the street with a plastic cup begging for quarters to keep it running if I have to. I just haven't added much content myself lately.

It's hard to find the time to actually pay attention enough to do a in-depth write up. Also, the lack of a camera makes it a lot harder too.

I'm here for the long run, so hopefully I can add some little by little, and I hope I can share what knowledge I have to help others even if I don't have a tutorial on it.

I'm doing my part by advertising!



We should print up business cards and stick them under the windshield wiper of any Saab we see to bring in more people!